While attending an entrepreneurial conference in Calgary last week I had the good fortune to meet a lot of fascinating people. Some were young enough to be my grandchild and some old enough to be my parent. What struck me most was the enthusiasm all had about being engaged entrepreneurs and learning to live their life with greater authenticity. During a break I met a charming young man who told me he blogs regularly and recently wrote on the subject of the thoughtful leader. In less than 15 minutes Kyle McNeilfrom Edmonton and I covered a wide territory including grieving for a recently deceased love one and finding out that he does business from Edmonton with the daughter of a business partner of mine in NY. Just amazing! I asked him to send me his blog and after reading it decided to quote it. I am thrilled to know that our young people are thoughtful about their lives, the future of business and the planet. He blew me away when he said he had a mission statement for his life. I’ve heard Steven covey talk of this but had never written one myself. So here are excerpts from Kyle’s blog:
“3 summers ago I wrote down a mission statement to: “positively & deeply impact at least one million people over the course of my life”.

“From that space, I realized to be a “thought leader” is good … what about being a thoughtful leader! That fits much better “

“With that in mind, here’s 7 KEYS to becoming a thoughtful leader.

Have pen & paper ALWAYS available – the ideas will come fast & furious when you least expect it. Be ready to capture inspiration. Like in so many books that profess the power of writing things down – MY GOODNESS it’s true. Write it down!

Acknowledge profound insights & powerful actions in yourself in others – celebrate this – it’s a gift. The more you honour this, the more you’ll receive. This is abundance.

Explore your why – in other words, “why do you do what you do”? What’s your mission? The deeper this resides inside you, the bigger impact you’ll make & more results you’ll see. Will & determination ALWAYS wins.

Take action – get involved – this is where your name will grow & thoughts & heart will touch others … the universe loves speed (action) and will show you the way. Expect challenge, failure & success. It’s just part of the journey. Sitting back thinking about how to change the world is important. At the same time, if this is 100% your plan … we’ve got a problem.

Be impeccable with your word – Conscious & clean in your delivery of messages with people. Don’t spill your “crap” onto others. Your words make a long lasting impact. Also be aware, that trying to be perfect & not “hurt anyone’s feelings” will keep you in the backseat — trust me I know this intimately.

Drop the me-me-me, ego and LISTEN! To be a thoughtful leader, you must be considerate of others, if you never stop talking … you’ll never learn what is important to them & you will lose them (especially now that we’re in the civic cycle)! Find out what moves them & what they need though; you’re GOLDEN!”

Kyle’s blog has taught me some things. I am starting to work on my own mission statement. What about you?